I kinda like it but whoa guyz tradition is only so good I mean I can has blue and maize but why am I better than rival fans? I don't know man Alabama Norte dame night games whoah Michigan state we'we uniforms but hey kidz like me so if it helps gets us back in the title race cool beans.

That kind of plays into my point. While Wisconsin isn't historically Michigan, the comparison of coaches is similar: a lot of people around these parts weren't ecstatic about the hire including our fearless leader. The overwhelming sentiment on their behalf is unabated joy.

literally this afternoon the rumor mill was indicating that they were going to hire one of two mediocre MAC coaches or the DC of the 31st ranked defense in the NFL. Instead, they hired a guy who somehow won 11 games at a school with a historical .329 winning percentage, almost beat them at home this season and coordinated a defense that beat Saban's Alabama in a BCS bowl.

And as a Michigan fan who loved the Hoke hire, I can't really sympathize

Anyway, I giggled when reading some of you saw that Wiscy fans were ecstatic, but the reason I giggled was that I thought they were probably happy to get any damn coach at this point.

They were probably feeling like we were during our search in 2007. I personally wish him luck because I hope he keeps them as a contender in case stupid Delaney and his divisions tinkering or untinkering, keeps us and Ohio separate.

We need somebody to deal with them in the next few years till PSU recovers, however effing long that will take.

On a side note, If O'Brien can somehow pull miracles and keeps them looking like contenders, to no avail for 3 more years, it would be pretty damn impressive and he would get a lot of wooers from college and pro besides being able to beat Ohio or give them a tough game(s).

Should be a very interesting next few years, especially with us getting back to contender status, as it should be fergodsakes!

Maybe it is the Dewar's talking but after seeing one of their players try to tear one of our guys' knee ligament and have nothing happen to him, and that was not an isolated incident, but to have that in your program and nothing be done about it, and besides the "meathead" coach is still a representation of the program and the values they promote. That's all I got.

I guess the B1G money hasnt kicked in yet. Sorry but Wisconsin filling their vacancy by getting the coach of Utah State is another example of our conference going on the cheap when it comes to HCs. And until we spend some of the B1G network cash on big time coaches we can expect to stay second fiddle or worse to the SEC.

Arkansas hiring a coach who has just won 3 straight Big Ten titles. Tennessee hiring a coach who had a fairly successful run at Cincy. Florida hiring one of the 'hot' coordinators who was next in line to be the head coach at Texas. Mississippi St hiring one of the 'hot' coordinators away from Urban Meyer at Florida. South Carolina hiring a coach who had already won a NC in college. Alabama hiring a coach who had already had a successful run in the Big Ten at MSU and in the SEC at LSU. Georgia hiring one of the 'hot' coordinators away from Florida St. LSU hiring a guy who had been successful in the Big Ten and then a guy who had been successful in the Big 12.

The SEC mainly hires coaches who have either been successful head coaches at BCS schools or coordinators from some of the top programs in the country. The Big Ten seems like they mainly hiring coaches from mid-major programs.

I guess its a do you prefer people with previous head coaching experience or not argument, clearly the sec has had it working for them. However Anderson was the dc at utah when they beat bama in the sugar bowl in 08, his team has won 15 of 18 and the 3 losses have come by a combined 6 points, he is only 48, and he just turned down the colorado and cal coaching jobs a few weeks ago. This counts as a good hire.

And OSU hired a guy who won 2 national titles in 3 years. The Big East is pretty much a mid major at this point and I don't think there is a consensus that Jones is an impressive coaching hire given that he followed in Kelly's footsteps. He was Tennessee's 5th choice at the highest. Many successful head coaches in non-BCS conferences were hot coordinators just a few years prior. Also, I wouldn't use Mullen(a guy who said he publicly said he would take the PSU job and was turned down) and Richt as examples of all-star coaches.

I wouldn't necessarily say either is an all-star coach. However, Richt has the highest career winning percentage of any head coach at Georgia who has been there more than one year. If they win their bowl game, he'll have 6 top ten rankings in 12 years.

I understand what you're saying, and I don't even really disagree, but my understanding is that both Purdue and Wisconsin are paying about $2 million a year for their new coaches, and I'm sure there are performance raises in place. Obviously, this isn't the top of the top in pay, but in any job, you won't get paid the most until you prove your value and ability. Also, it is super rare that any coach of a high major program would leave for the same job elsewhere. Most of the time, it's a lateral move. For example, Jim Harbaugh not leaving Stanford to come here. Why do it? The pay isn't much different usually, and there's the awkward transition and no guarantee of success elswhere. At least if you get a head coach that has had success in a lower-tier program, you know they can manage a whole team, as opposed to former coordinators, who might only focus on one thing and not really even do that well. *cough* Bo Pelini *cough*

I was wondering how long it would take either of the two primary Badger posters to respond to this. Figured you wouldn't want to go outside and turn the generator crank on the ol' www internet thang on a cold winter night. You must be 10 beers warm already. Said in true love of all my Wisconsin acquaintances.

It was like 13-9 late in the 4th quarter, and then Toledo got winded or something and just couldn't stop Utah State's running back anymore who just kept breaking big run after big run just running out the clock.

1) Good hire as Anderson has rebuilt the state of Utah's 'third school' with little to work with. He now has Wisconsin's facilities and the momentum of 3 consecutive Rose Bowls so the potential is unlimited!

OR

2) This ensures Urban and the Poisonous Nuts will win the Leaders Division every year.

Hope this doesn't get too critical, but at late point in my evening this had me wondering, would Brady Hoke (whom I admire) have gotten hired without those two years at SDSU? I saw someone say the BIG has been on the low end of coaching hires recently but aside from

I don't know if this is a good hire or if their AD is just trying to win a pissing contest. A coaching hire is usually decided on tradition, do you like to argue with rival AD's or are you trying to win a pissing contest. Hmmm...

It doesn't seem like it is particularly easy to go 11-2 and turn around a program that has been in and out of conferences periodically for many years (including two stints as an independent team and one in the Sun Belt), but Andersen managed this, and did just about as quickly as anyone could have. Utah State is also a bit off the beaten path, which seems to make great recruiting difficult, so I think coaching may come into play even more, so there's evidence here that he's pretty good.

I wonder how much of his staff comes with him actually - I know Alvarez said that the style wouldn't change offensively, or something to this effect, but yet they hire someone who at least had spread elements in his offense. It will be interesting to see how they line up under Andersen.

The most interesting piece of the hire is watching how he inserts his spread system at Wisconsin. If Michigan fans couldn't get behind it, I don't know how Wisconsin fans do. They were more "MANBALL" on offense than pretty much any other team in the B1G and maybe the country. It'll definitely be a big transition if he decides to bring the spread to Wisconsin.

Also, how the heck is he going to recruit the Midwest coming from Utah? Does he have previous ties to the Midwest (kind of like Hoke did)?

His recruiting base here in Utah has always been getting the big Polynesians to play some FOOBAW. I can't imagine that following him to the Midwest. He also has a considerable amount of 21-YO return missionary Mormons, and kids who can play from the valley that like to walk on to the program. I really wonder what his recruiting will look like there.

Gary Andersen knows Defense. Prior to Utah State, he was a BIG asset for the Univ of Utah's Kyle Whittingham. Prior to Utah State, he helped Utah to become a good enough team to be admitted to the Pac 12. For those unfamiliar with Utah State, they have been a tire fire for a number of years, and he turned them around very quickly. That's not easy to do when you have BYU and Utah in the same state, fighting for recruits. Good hire for the Badgers.

Andersen did take a team with average talent and dismantle Toledo in a bowl game. He's done a good job of turning USU into a decent team. He's one of those solid guys that Wiscy seems to like. I don't know how he will react to being micro-managed by Alvarez, though.

People here in Logan are pissed. Just a couple weeks ago (a few days before the Bowl of Idaho Potatoes that became Famous) GA came out and said he's sticking around. He has 2 kids on the team (1 committed), said time and again that the money has nothing to do with his decision, even after getting offers from Cal and Colorado. USU is historically atrocious, and getting a coach to turn around the program from literally bottom 3 in the nation to 11-2 and 8 points total from being undefeated (lost by missed field goals @Wisky and BYU) in 4 years brought some new air into Cache Valley. He's a helluva coach.